Dark Planet
by MrsB108
Summary: When Major Lorne and his team go missing, Colonel Sheppard and his team must go to the darkest ends of the galaxy to bring them back.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

A gray world.

A dead world.

A world where the earth is covered in the brittle bones of the dead and the soil remains forever of ash and ember; a place where no sun can quite reach, yet there is light enough from the countless pits of fire to see the outline of motionless bodies as they stretch across the seemingly endless molten pits toward the north.

This is a place of death; a planet of quiet disposal, and the Genii liaison that had provided them with the gate address could not have remotely prepared the Atlantis team for the sights they beheld as they gazed down the steep slope that ran from the cliff where the Stargate was held.

The sounds of grating metal and the roar of a crackling unrestrained flame echoed deep across the dark lands reaching the ears of the four perched high above. Colonel Sheppard and his team spoke not a word as they stared down disbelievingly at the lava streaked mountains and the treacherous black terrain, the wisps of heavy smoke from the mounds of burning rubble just reaching the ends of their noses.

Small dark creatures scuttered below through the endless maze of black pits and streams of red hot liquid. They appeared to be workers of some sort, carting objects back and forth from one pile to another, each of them staying in a perfect formation and never straying from the line formed of their fellow workers.

One worker at the very end of the line seemed slightly lagged compared to his well-timed companions and when he tripped over a fallen piece of metal sticking oddly from the ground that sent him face-first to the earth with a howl, not one of the others stopped to aid him or even appeared to take notice.

Then out of the darkness, from the camoflauge of a large rock came a taller creature, too far away to be properly seen by Sheppard and his team. He approached the fallen worker with meaning in his step and he did not hesitate before grabbing the extended arm of the worker as he lay there begging for help, and dragged him towards the nearest lava rivers edge.

A swift kick to its head sent the fallen creature into the searing hot river with only a moment to gurgle a wild scream before he succumbed to the intensity of the rivers heat.

"Oh my God," Rodney said quietly, putting a hand to his mouth

Colonel Sheppard grimaced before replying solemnly, "Let's just find the guy we're looking for and get the hell outta here. We're not even sure this guy knows anything anyways."

Teyla, who was just behind the Colonel to his right, nodded nervously and held her weapon at the ready as she poised to follow him down the rocky slope, though her fearful brown eyes never left the sights below.

Ronon stepped forward, blocking Sheppard from moving any further and stared down at him with an earnest fear stretched across his face.

"I've heard of places like this before Sheppard. This is a 'ruined planet', a disposal ground for convicted murderers and worse. Any culture is welcome to dump their dead or condemn their criminals to enslavement here in the hopes that their rotting souls will never find peace.

People say…people say evil is born here. And that those who remain too long become taken."

Sheppard cocked his head to the side and replied quickly, "Taken…..taken by what?"

Ronon looked back over his shoulder toward the land just as a groaning metallic sound blasted through the air quickly before dying out strangely and echoing on the thick night air.

"Taken by darkness," he whispered.

Sheppard bit his lower lip involuntarily as he followed Ronon's gaze down and he waited a moment, taking in what Ronon had said before he spoke yet again.

"Look, I know this place is super creepy guys but Lorne and his team have been missing for three days. This is the only lead we've gotten so far- _okay a really crappy Genii lead I know_- but as long as we find this guy Balaam quickly and find out what he knows, everything should be fine and we'll get the hell outta here. Okay?"

Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon all nodded in agreement, being reminded of Major Lorne's disappearance gave them all a feeling a renewed confidence and determination as they followed Colonel Sheppard as he began their descent into the darkest land any of them had ever known.

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	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

With no discernible path leading down the rocky slope, the descent proved most perilous.

No more than fifteen steps into their adventure Teyla slipped on a well-camouflaged black slime that had eerily clung to her boot when she stepped in it and she went reeling toward a deadly jagged overhang off to their right. She gasped fearfully as she leaned inadvertently dangerously over the edge before she felt a steady hand grab her by the back of her shirt and yank her back towards safety.

Rodney smiled shakily and she nodded towards him in thanks as she began shaking the gooey black substance from the remainder of her boot.

When the rocky descent was finally finished, the four Atlantis members stood immersed in a world of darkness and fire. Mounds of rubble and ash towered over them on both sides and thick clouds of smoke filled the air around them, a welcoming foyer into the very heart of death.

Colonel Sheppard coughed before he spoke loudly to the others in order to be heard over the extreme sounds of groaning metal and the endless crackle of countless fires.

"The Genii said to go straight once we got here! He said we'd know the place when we saw it! Keep your eyes open!"

Weapons at the ready, the team followed Sheppard as he walked forward into the maze of lava filled rivers and blackened earth. The workers they had seen from up above were in close proximity now as they rushed back and forth across the lands around them and seemed completely unfazed by their presence. They appeared to be creatures half sized to a human and their skin seemed totally comprised of the black slime Teyla had slipped in earlier. As the team passed them by at one particularly large boiling stream, Rodney noticed that their eyes were stitched shut in some strange pattern and yet they still seemed to know exactly what they were doing in synchronized harmony.

Gulping, he turned back towards the others and saw the unmistakable looming black structure they were quickly approaching up ahead.

A massive building that looked much like an old worn factory lay before them, covered in soot and dirt. The front door was missing and clusters of those black creatures ran in and out from the front doorway carrying equipment and bundles of ore.

Sheppard turned back and nodded to Ronon and Teyla who instantly raised their weapons further as they slowly approached the entrance.

"Hello?" Sheppard called as he carefully poked his head into the darkened doorway. "Anybody home?"

One of the creatures ran past him, slightly bumping his leg, which caused him to jump considerably before he looked back sheepishly at the others.

Ronon smiled smugly before they all heard the deep voice from within call out, "Enter!"

Sheppard made a gesture for Teyla to take a rear position and he slowly stepped inside the doorway with Ronon and Rodney right behind him.

It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness, though further into the room small torches lay burning in corners flickering eerily from the small wind of their collective entrance.

The harsh noises from outside were significantly less in the structure and the smaller noises of tiny things moving unseen in the dark were far more prominent as the team stood there, weapons still poised, waiting.

"Why are you here?" the voice spoke through the blackness.

"My name is Colonel John Sheppard and as much as I would like to tell you what it is we're doing here, you wouldn't mind showing yourself first would you?" Sheppard said slowly aiming his weapon around in search of the source.

The flames moved again as a figure stepped forward and revealed a large man much taller and wider than any of them, wearing a filthy dark apron and holding worn metallic tools in each of his grubby hands. He appeared human in form, with his thinning gray hair and flesh colored skin and Rodney was pleased to find his eyes were normal and not at all sewn shut.

"Ah, that's better," Sheppard said in a friendly voice. "We're looking for a man called Balaam. We were told he might be able to help us."

The old man seemed slightly curious but not overly caring as he spoke. "I am Balaam. What is it that you seek?"

Ronon kept his weapon aimed as the others slightly lowered theirs while the conversation seemed so far to be going well.

"Some of our friends have gone missing and we were told that this…_this kind of establishment_ might know something of their whereabouts."

The old man shrugged and continued with his blank expression. "Many people come here."

Sheppard cleared his throat and pointed to the patch on his own uniform. "They would have worn clothing like this."

The old man stepped forward towards Sheppard to get a better view and gave the first sign of a smile as Ronon clicked part of his weapon in apprehension of the old man's gesture.

"Your friend is eager," Balaam said to Sheppard. "I like that."

Sheppard gave a half grimace unsure of what to say but Balaam continued speaking regardless.

"Yes, I have seen your friends, but they left here some time ago. I do not know where they may have went."

Sheppard made a face, the instant dismay quickly washing over him.

Ronon hissed quickly, "He's lying!"

Teyla, Rodney, and Sheppard looked at Ronon surprised at his outburst and just as Sheppard looked back towards the old man to apologize, his own voice caught somewhere in the back of his throat.

The old man's eyes had turned to a thick black slime and covered the entire span of their sockets.

"He's right," Balaam whispered harshly as he stepped back into the concealment of dark just as tiny screeches came from all around the room surrounding them.

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	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

The torches on the wall all seemed to douse at once as the old man drew back into the shadows and they were cast into total darkness. All but one distant torch that flickered eerily down a stretch of black hallway behind them that led farther into the massive construct was all the light that they had.

Ronon's gun blasted away in the dark towards the sounds of heinous screeching that surrounded them, giving momentary light with each trigger pull. Sheppard heard Rodney's shrill scream and barely caught a glimpse of Teyla trying to seperate one of the small slimy creatures from Rodney's back just as Ronon fired off another shot.

Sheppard called for them to follow him and with Ronon taking up the rear with his weapon still rapidly discharging, they blindly followed Sheppard towards the only visible light and the sounds of screeching slowly began to taper off the farther away from the entrance that they became.

The hallway seemed an endless darkness and Sheppard fell forwards twice, catching himself against the solid stone wall and praying there was no unforseen pits or crevices in the ground ahead.

The lone torch seemed much closer than it actually was and minutes had passed of them racing down the dark hallway before they finally reached it.

"Well now what?" Ronon huffed as they came to a brief rest by the burning light in an effort to catch his breath.

Rodney was doubled over, his hands resting on his knees while Teyla remained beside him. She was also out of breath but she was examining the large lacerations on Rodney back from the attack of the eyeless creature.

Sheppard caught her eye and Teyla nodded silently in an understanding gesture that Rodney would be fine and not to make an issue about it.

"We need to find another way out," Sheppard said trying hard to squint through the dark in the hopes of seeing anything besides the endless stone walls.

"There does not seem to be any other way to go except to continue down the path," Teyla said calmly. "And I do not suggest we go back the way we came."

"Agreed!" chirped in Rodney, trying desperately to swivel himself in the hopes of getting a good look at his own torn back.

Ronon nodded and Sheppard said with a tight lipped smile, "Allright then, we keep going, but we're taking the damn torch."

Taking it off the wall and holding it before him, Sheppard continued leading the others down the remainder of the long hall noticing almost instantly there were echoing voices coming from up ahead though garbled considerably by the distance.

Step upon step upon step they took in the direction of the wavering noise and soon the sounds seemed to flow together as one while they followed Sheppard and his brightly burning torch through the dark, their own shadows casting haunting images against the hard stone walls.

"Chanting," whispered Rodney with a terrified look upon his face.

Seeing a sliver of light and something oddly shaped up ahead, Sheppard held his fist up for a full stop and placed the torch down on the ground digging it deep into the dirt trodden floor so it remained upright.

He approached the odd formation which was a large gaping hole in the stone wall before them and peered down.

"Oh, this is not good."

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	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

Sheppard's eyes widened as he peered down into the well-lit room far below the opening in the stone wall that he was carefully perched upon.

Hundreds of torches lined the outer walls of the enormous room and sand covered the floor from edge to edge, though large streaks of dark red discolored many of its areas.

At the very front of the room stood a gigantic statue of a half-man half-creature with a sinister looking mouth full of razor sharp teeth and black empty holes where its eyes should have been.

All of this was extremely disconcerting to Sheppard but not nearly as much so as what filled the remainder of the room.

The rest of the room was filled with people. People and creatures from other worlds, all kneeling and seemingly praying towards the ill-seeming idol; their voided interaction and lack of movement making Sheppard extremely uneasy.

Taking a brief inventory of over 100 people and creatures down below, Sheppard was about to motion Ronon and the others over when his eyes rested on an emblem that he found unmistakable.

There, amidst the crowd below, his eyes found a small American flag and quickly trailed upwards to find the face of an apparently unharmed Major Lorne.

All of Major Lorne's team were there beside him and they were all kneeling, all of their lower halves settled unmovingly into the dark sand, their heads bent in silence or otherwise softly mumbling in prayer.

Sheppard slowly backed up and resumed his place beside his team, hurriedly whispering what he had seen.

"Lorne and the others are here. Down through that hole I saw a room."

"How many others are there?" Ronon asked, quickly presuming the situation in his mind.

"About a hundred," Sheppard whispered back.

"Weapons?"

"I didn't see any."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Ronon turned as he finished his words and the others followed suit as he headed towards the declining slope of the hallway, just past the open ledge.

The journey below was swift and soon they stood in the shadowy entrance of the gigantic room, the metallic skin of the false idol beckoning them nearer.

"How shall we proceed?" Teyla asked quietly as they all peered cautiously into the crowded domain.

"I think the less of a scene we make the better. I'm going in...alone. And-," Sheppard put a hand up to halt Ronon's immediate protest,"-no arguments."

Sheppard began to remove his central weapon holster and handed it to an astonished Rodney who stared at him with his mouth opened wide in surprise.

"You're going without a weapon? What are you; nuts?"

Sheppard shook his head side to side, and smiled slightly as he opened the inner section of his vest revealing a well concealed pistol.

"No. I just want to _look_ like I'm nuts."

Sheppard nodded to the others, an unneccessary gesture to ensure they were ready with their own weapons in case something should happen once he entered the crowd.

Ronon and Teyla both took aim, still masked by the flickering shadows the torches cast upon the dirty stone walls and Sheppard entered slowly into the room.

He tilted his head down slightly as soon as his feet hit the softness of sand, an imitation of the others as they remained solemnly in prayer and hoped they didn't look up to notice his roving eyes as they flittered back and forth across the sea of many faces, searching for that American flag or the faces of his friends.

As he slowly made his way through the din, trying to avoid bumping into anyone and attempting to appear as though he belonged, his eyes caught a closer glimpse of the massive statue the front of the room beheld and even Sheppard stopped in awe of its intensity.

The bronze diety was the size of a large building in itself, its tarnished glow and blood spattered body eerily glinting in the firelight. Sheppard felt captivated by the emptiness of its eyes; the blackness and utter nothing that they held momentarily filling his head.

Shaking the feeling, he continued his search, every so often mumbling the alphabet as he passed by others to keep up appearances that he was also in prayer before he finally caught sight of the small American flag ten feet from his left.

Involuntarily moving faster towards it, he put a strong hand out and clamped it down on Lorne's forearm, standing right beside him to avoid anyone noticing his harsh movement.

Lorne turned towards him, his head slowly picking up from his apparent concentration and looked right at Colonel Sheppard, a vast smile growing wide across his face.

"Colonel. We're so happy you could join us."

Sheppard stepped back and nearly fell over his own feet in the sand, all other thoughts and appearances quickly falling away.

Lorne's eyes were gone and in their place remained a thick black liquid.

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	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

As if waking from some strange slumber, every single head in the room turned slowly towards Colonel Sheppard.

And every pair of eyes was pitch black.

Colonel Sheppard swallowed hard and took a slight step back.

"Um….have any you guys considered seeing an eye doctor lately?….No?"

The entire room rose from their knees and stood facing the Colonel, leaving a small ring of space between him and them as they continued to stare at him with their darkened eyes.

The air was thick with anticipation as they all waited to see who would make the first move and after a seemingly eternity of dead silence, Lorne moved towards him.

Sheppard lashed out quickly striking the Major hard in the face, an instant stream of blood pouring from Lorne's nose, though the eerie smile that remained plastered on his face indicated no pain was felt.

"Oh, that is so……not good…." Sheppard muttered aloud. Tapping his earpiece, he tried to appear calm as he said hurriedly, "Ronon, please feel free to get the hell in here and save my ass……Now would be good….."

Small bits of crackling static met his ears and Sheppard tapped the piece again.

"Ronon?……..Teyla?………_Rodney?…_…..Come in!"

"Nobody's coming Colonel….And nobody will…….," Lorne said matter-of-factly.

Sheppard felt movement behind him and moved quickly to his right as a forceful fist came flying past him from one of the black-eyed minions. Then another stepped forward and launched an attack, knocking Sheppard to the ground with a well-maneuvered double-legged sweep that the Colonel wasn't expecting.

Sheppard landed hard on the ground instantly knocking the wind from him and was straddled and punched several times hard in the face by the first attacker that had originally missed.

"That's enough…" Lorne said.

Sheppard groaned as he slowly lifted his head up and rose to a resting elbow positioned.

He gritted his blood smeared teeth together and spat saying, "Is that all you guys got? Some fancy break dancing moves?"

Lorne leaned down to a squatting position and tilted his head to the side stating, "No Colonel. We're going to make you just like us."

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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

A low rumble from the hallway behind them caused Ronon to turn his head away from the shadowy entrace of the massive chamber Sheppard had just entered.

"What?" Rodney said catching sight of Ronon's furrowed brow.

"Shh-" Ronon commanded, his hands poised mid air as he listened with his eyes closed.

Teyla listened as well, though her opened eyes searched the rocky corridor for some indication of what the far off noise could be.

Ronon opened his eyes quickly and whispered to them harshly, "We need to move...NOW."

Rodney's eyes widened. "Why? What is it?"

Ronon turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Footsteps..." He paused. "Alot of them."

He started to climb a short rock wall that was not too far behind him and held out a hand for Teyla as she followed suite, her eye catching the same ventilation shaft above as Ronon had.

Rodney turned back towards the entrance. "What about Sheppard? We can't just leave him..."

This time Teyla turned back as she hung from the edge of the wall, her hand reaching out to aid Rodney as he stood there adamant.

"We are of no use to Colonel Sheppard if we are caught Rodney. We will find him again. Now come. Give me your hand."

The comforting small smile on Teyla's face momentarily washed Rodney's fears away and he positioned his weapon to sling low across his back before taking her hand and starting to mount the wall face.

Once they were all along the narrow top, Ronon easily removed the small gate blocking the airshaft and laid it quietly along the dirt's edge. He crawled in first, his massive body just barely fitting in the squared-off tunnel and Rodney waited only a few moments before entering after him.

By the time there was room enough for Teyla to enter, the footsteps Ronon had heard earlier had arrived and the entrance to the chamber Sheppard was in was flooded with people and creatures of the likes Teyla had never seen. She ducked down low as she barely peered over the edge in an attempt to see what was happening and gasped slightly, sucking in a small flutter of sand as she did.

Four men were carrying Colonel Sheppard overhead, one of them she barely recognized as Major Lorne. Crusted blood and dirt covered Colonel Sheppard's unconscious face and Teyla quickly lowered her head and crawled as quick as she could to report to the others.

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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

When Colonel Sheppard finally began to wake, he slowly and painfully fluttered his eyes open, squinting through the shadowy dimness around him. His head was throbbing awfully, and in an instant he felt harsh restraints scratching obnoxiously against his ankles and wrists. He yanked against them regardless and only increased the pain tenfold by doing so. Grunting from frustration, he continued squinting until his eyes accustomed themselves to the minimal light provided by a nearby torch.

Scuffling could be heard in the darkness and Sheppard immediately responded harshly.

"Who's there?" he said in a strained voice.

"Only us," a voice returned. A voice Sheppard only knew too well. He gave an inward groan as Major Lorne stepped into view holding a large golden goblet adorned with black crystals across its grip.

"Major Lorne; I **demand** that you release me," Sheppard said sternly, hoping confidence and using his title would somehow wake Lorne from whatever power was causing him to act this way. Lorne only smiled in returned and leaned down to Sheppard's head as a tiny bead of sweat rolled down the Colonel's furrowed brow.

"Giving orders will do you no good. You may have been my commander before Sheppard, but here..._here_ we are _all _kings..."

Lorne turned his head and nodded towards the shadows. Two other members from Lorne's team emerged from the shadows, their eyes as black as death. Sheppard continued to futiley tussle with his restraints, a nervous pit growing larger by the moment somewhere deep in his stomach.

_"Stay the hell away from me..."_

Major Lorne seemed completely sincere when he looked down at Sheppard and replied, "It only hurts for a minute John..."

One of the marines moved forward and held Sheppard's head still between both of his large hands, one beneath his chin and the other behind his head holding it slightly tilted upwards. The second marine pinched Sheppard's nose shut and yanked open his jaw while Lorne moved forward. He carried the strange goblet out before him as Sheppard attempted to shout wildly while his arms and feet remained restrained.

The grip the marines had was too strong and Sheppard knew it, though he would never willingly stop fighting against it. Lorne tipped the goblet slightly just above Sheppard's unwillingly ajar mouth and poured a thick, gooey black substance down his open throat, smiling the entire time.

A strange chanting came from somewhere in the fiery shadows and Sheppard did all he could to keep his throat closed, trying to prevent the black liquid from entering him entirely. Only moments passed before the effort proved too great and although much of the black goo was covering his face and dripping down his chin, some of it was still passing through his attempts until finally he could fight it no longer.

Lorne and the others stepped back while Sheppard spat out what little he could towards them as they retreated. All three of them smiled while the Colonel began to feel something strange lurch awkwardly inside him, somewhere deep in his chest.

He paused a moment, recoiling. "What did you do to me?!" he screamed, black spittle flying from his mouth.

They didn't answer and only a second passed before the lurching increased and a new kind of pain coursed through Sheppard's body, filling him with a sense of dread and hopelessness as his blood began to feel as though it were on fire and a strangled scream erupted from his throat that echoed as far as voice could carry.

The last thing he remembered before everything went dark was the sick smile streched across Major Lorne's face.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Ronon used his instincts to easily maneuver his way through the ventilation shaft, though the size of his body was proving a tougher issue with the narrow space than he had earlier surmised. More than once he became unmistakably wedged and had once stopped so suddenly that is caused Rodney to slam his head directly into Ronon's upright backside.

"McKay!" Ronon snarled angrily trying to turn his head around to glare at the scientist.

Rodney made a gagging sound and made a quick mention of the fact that he may in turn vomit.

Teyla stopped them both, her smooth voice echoing strangely against the surrounding metal as it drifted from the rear.

"Please lets focus. Colonel Sheppard is counting on us and we are not even sure where he is being held." She paused. "Ronon, are you able to move?"

After a significant amount of groaning and straining, Ronon managed to wiggle himself free.

"We can't stay in here much longer, " Ronon said. "I can't see down the vents enough to be able to tell if Sheppard is in any of the rooms. Next empty room, we're getting out."

"Oh thank God..." Rodney whispered, his eyes trying to focus on anything besides the only view he had which was regrettably still Ronon's backside.

Teyla rolled her eyes and the three of them continued inching forward.

It wasn't long before they encountered another empty room. Teyla thought it strange at the fact so many rooms were barren and unoccupied.

Ronon slammed the adjoining grate from the wall with one swift punch giving them a wide hole to work with. He began to shimmy himself out of the dark shaft and into the dimly lit room below.

After less than a minute, Rodney was doing the same with Ronon's assistance guiding him down. The room was small, no larger than the inside of a Puddle Jumper and its only occupants were a small table covered in dust and cobwebs and an old worn mattress lying in the corner; its unmistakable blood stains catching Ronon's observant eyes as he aided McKay in his descent.

The room held a small window with reinforced black bars crossing both directions making escape an immediately mute option. Only small shafts of firelight echoed in as dancing shadows fell across Ronon's face. A strong sense of wariness crept inside him.

McKay had finally joined Ronon, feet firmly planted on the dirt trodden ground and Teyla was only just approaching the hole.

She had placed herself to send her feet and legs through first but a loud smash sent her reeling back into the shaft.

Ronon and Rodney turned immediately behind them. Ronon unholstered his gun aiming directly towards the sound.

The rickety old wooden door had been wailed upon by something or someone strong; strong enough to splinter most of the frame and everyone knew only one more well-placed blow would send the door to its miserable death, leaving them exposed to whoever would enter.

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